The Big Apple came out on top of a list of 25 cities in research conducted by Dell and data analysis firm IHS Markit. Based on the cities in Dell’s own Future Ready Economies research, the report looks at female entrepreneurship at a local level.

The best cities to be a female entrepreneur

Although only based on a limited pool of 50 cities, a clear pattern emerges in the map above. European and North American cities dominate the top 10, with just two outside these regions: Singapore and Sydney.

The rating is based on five pillars with over 70 indicators. New York comes on top in two of these and first overall.

Second place goes to the Bay Area, which comprises the San Francisco and San Jose metro areas. It ranked first for talent and second in capital and markets. London takes third place.

The top 25 cities do have a more international feel, featuring cities such as Beijing and Sao Paulo.

The global picture

As the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report has highlighted, significant gaps remains between men and women in the workplace. Women continue to earn less than men, while they hold just 28% of leadership roles.

The Forum report highlights the correlation between gender equality and economic performance and competitiveness. Research suggests that closing the gender gap could boost US GDP by up to 9% and Eurozone GDP by 13%.

Encouraging female entrepreneurship – the “untapped potential” as the Dell report puts it – isn’t just the right thing to do. It also makes economic sense.